📚 Ich habe mich sehr auf Band 11 von #MyRoommateIsACat gefreut. 😊

Harus entgeistertes Gesicht, ist inzwischen meine liebste Grimasse, die sie zieht. 🤣 Es ist so entzückend.
Wie durch die ganzen Katzenliebhabende ein enger Bekanntenkreis für Subaru wurde, ist immer wieder schön zu sehen. Dass er nun sogar mit seinem Lieferanten quatschen kann, ist so besonders. 🥺
Zum Ende kam es aber zu richtig viel Chaos ... jetzt wieder warten. 😭

#amLesen #MangaYear25 #MangaDE #Manga

Boarding for your next anime adventure begins soon: Crunchyroll is bringing five popular anime series to Delta Air Lines customers, starting in early November.

“Anime is a pop culture powerhouse with a passionate and long-term fandom. #BlackClover #Crunchyroll #Delta #DeltaAirLines #FruitsBasket #MyRoommateIsaCat #SoloLeveling

https://www.animationmagazine.net/2025/10/crunchyroll-launches-curated-anime-on-delta-air-lines-flights/

Sacred tomes, curses, and research librarians in “Libra of Nil Admirari”

Happy United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities! When I started watching Libra of Nil Admirari (also known as Nil Admirari no Tenbin), I had a sense that libraries would be a part of the story. Reading that the story was about a group of people who try and track down cursed books reminded me of R.O.D. the TV, and even Library War a bit. This series is a dark fantasy and a reverse harem. While I’m not, necessarily, a fan of the latter genre, the former was much more intriguing. So, let me get started! As a warning, there will be description of attempted suicide in this article.

The first episode hits like a freight train. Protagonist Tsugumi Kuze (voiced by Juri Kimura) watches her brother, Hitaki Kuze (voiced by Ayumu Murase) try to kill himself by self-immolation. Horrified, she blamed herself, but later learns that a cursed book, written in Japanese handwriting, named a maremono is responsible. She joins the Imperial Library Information Assets Management Bureau (also known as Fukurou), willing to use her ability to “see” the tomes, which she gained following a traumatic experience (her brother’s attempted suicide). In the next episode, she becomes more familiar with the bureau, which has a compound similar, in some ways, to the situation of the Library Defense Force in Library War. She does wear a strange uniform with a cut-out for her breasts, an unnecessary form of fan service which could have easily been avoided in this series, as could the fact that her work uniform has a relatively short skirt.

Within this compound is a room with cursed tomes, guided around by Hayato Ozaki (voiced by Yuuki Kaji), a member of Fukurou who tried to recruit her in the first episode. She meets Yutaka Nabari (voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa), who can also see auras of books, like her, and is researching cursed tomes. Later, Shiori Tokimiya (voiced by Rio Natsuki) shows Tsugami around the Fukurou building, walking through a secret passage to the research division, headed by Motofumi Mashiko (voiced by Kazuyuki Okitsu), who is wearing a mask and has a toucan on his shoulder. A small library room is shown at first, but this is only the beginning. Motofumi is said to be well-versed in many fields, like ornithology and folklore. From there, she goes into a huge room described as the only national library in the country, and there are at least ten library assistants, carrying books. [1] It is noted that Fukurou was originally a department for managing “precious books” and they are still diligently performing this goal. He welcomes Tsugami with open arms and she is grateful for that.

The claim that this is the “only” national library in Japan is accurate! The National Diet Library of Japan was not established until 1948, even though Japan had its first public library in 1872, following introduction of Western culture to the island, and the Japan Library Association (JLA) was founded in 1892 to “promote library services and librarianship in Japan,” with a first All Japan Library Conference held in 1906. [2] There’s more context, that should be established. This series is set in an alternative universe in which the Taisho era of Japan is still ongoing, in 1936. This is a period of Japanese history, from 1912 to 1926, in which there was a liberal movement with growth of power among democratic parties and away from elder politicians. It is also the period Japan developed its first aircraft carrier, and emerged from World War I as a “major industrial nation”. [3]

Although the later part of the episode, where Tsugami goes on patrol with Osaki, Kōgami, and Hisui Hoshikawa, going to bookstores and other shops, looking for cursed books, is not directly about libraries, it is related nonetheless. I haven’t played the otome visual novel video game, Nil Admirari no Tenbin: Teito Genwaku Kitan (written by Yuma Katagiri), that this series is based on, or the manga, written by Shō Yuzuki, but I’d imagine it probably has similar themes. The director of this anime, Masahiro Takata, is well-known for many other productions, including as an episode director of My Roommate is a Cat! Despite mixed reviews from Anime News Network writers, apart from Rebecca Silverman (who was more positive), [4] I decided to keep watching, and expected there would be more library scenes.

Clearly, Motofumi Mashiko and the other unnamed assistant librarians, are all research librarians, as they are researching these tomes, and storing them in a huge space. While undoubtedly librarians instruct, research, connect people to technology, manage social media, build websites, and digitize archives. Research librarians specifically analyze information requests to “determine which materials will best meet that researcher’s needs”. In some sense, the library in this series is a research library, as it has an in-depth collection, even though it doesn’t have a large volume of peer-reviewed work, and other works. More accurately, it is a special library, in that it is serving a particular population and is dedicated to a certain collection. [5]

By the third episode, Tsugami sees a book burning. In the process, she meets Sagisawa Rui, a doctor-in-training. While she calls herself “Kuze” here, I am calling her Tsugami in this article to distinguish from her brother. Later, they have a debriefing with Shiori Tokimiya, where it is revealed that a group called “Kagutsuchi” is stealing people’s books and burning them, in a number of recent incidents. Other members explain that the public burn cursed tomes because they are afraid of them and see them as dangerous. Tsugami later meets with Sagisawa. A man holding a cursed tome later dies on the train tracks, horrifying them all, and it is guessed that someone is purposely creating cursed tomes. Later, she tells Sagisawa that burning potentially dangerous books is wrong, which is a sentiment we can all agree with. At the end of the episode, she raids a building, with the help of her fellow agents, where the Kagutsuchi are holed up, and trying to burn books.

Tsugami meets the pompous son of the Prime Minister, Ukai, who also attempted society. However, she sympathizes, as he tried to kill himself, but she struggles with this, because he is so arrogant… She later learns that a legislator jumped from a building, and died, with a tome in one hand. She is informed she can’t do anything, even though people are dying, and is told this is why they are investigating every day and getting information from the press. She later tells Ukai that the job gives her freedom and that she enjoys it, says that communal living is fun, and hopes to get along better with him. He agrees to take her to a ball so they can learn about possible individuals involved in the book burning. She reports back what she saw. Later, Ukai realizes he was wrong about her and endeavors to become better friends with her. At the end of the episode, a woman is shown dead, with a tome, a romantic novel, nearby.

While I could go further, I decided to stop watching this series at this point, as it wasn’t to my fancy, and because I’ve already noted the existing library themes here.

© 2023-2025 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Motofumi is the only character who speaks, as the others are only as background characters.

[2] “Brief Information on Libraries in Japan,” Japan Library Association, accessed Jul. 18, 2023; “History,” National Diet Library, Japan, accessed Jul. 18, 2023;

[3] Hoffman, Michael. “The Taisho Era: When modernity ruled Japan’s masses,” Japan Times, Jul. 29, 2012; Hoffman, Michael. “‘Taisho Democracy’ pays the ultimate price,” Japan Times, Jul. 29, 2012; “IJN Imperial Japanese Navy / ( Nihon Kaigun ),” globalsecurity.org, accessed Jul. 18, 2023; Japan: a country study (Washington, D.C., Library of Congress Federal Research Division, ed. Ronald E. Dolan and Ronald L. Warden: 1990), xviii, 46, 49-53. The Library of Congress country study says there were two other periods of history: Showa from 1926 to 1989 and Hensai from 1989 to present. The latter era actually ended in 2019, and replaced by the Reiwa era, which is currently ongoing.

[4] Jensen, Paul; Theron Martin; Nick Creamer; Rebecca Silverman, “The Spring 2018 Anime Preview Guide: Libra of Nil Admirari,” Anime News Network, Apr. 8, 2018; Silverman, Rebecca. “Libra of Nil Admirari Episodes 1-12 streaming Review,” Anime News Network, Jun. 28, 2018.

[5] “Become a Librarian,” American Library Association, accessed Jul. 18, 2023; Matthews, Rose. “Research Librarian Job Description,” Chron.com, accessed Jul. 18, 2023; “What is a Research Library?,” Linda Hall Library, accessed Jul. 18, 2023; “What is Research Library,” IGI Global, accessed Jul. 18, 2023; “research library,” dictionary.com, accessed Jul. 18, 2023; “Special Libraries,” American Library Association, accessed Jul. 18, 2023.

#abandonedSeries #AnimeNewsNetwork #bookBurning #fanService #history #Japan #JapaneseLibrarians #LibraOfNilAdmirari #LibraryWar #MyRoommateIsACat #RODTheTV #rareBooks #referenceLibrarians #research

📰 Exploring the Unique Bond in 'My Roommate is a Cat'

In the heartwarming series 'My Roommate is a Cat', viewers are introduced to a touching narrative that explores the deep, irreplaceable bond between a reclusive novelist and Haru, the stray cat he reluctantly adopts. This anime beautifully illustrate...

🔗 Read more: https://animenewsdaily.us/articles/15842

#AnimeNews #CRUNCHYROLL #MyRoommateIsACat

Band 10 von #MyRoommateIsACat ist erschienen. 📚 ... und hinten steht schon drin, dass ich bis Ende nächstes Jahr auf Band 11 warten darf. 😭

Aber der aktuelle Band war wieder super bezaubernd. ❤️ Manga mit Haustieren sind wundervoll. 🥹 Egal, ob in der Hauptrolle oder nicht.
Subaru lernt dank Gassi gehen mit Kinako sein eigenes Viertel noch mal anders kennen und Haru trifft Tora und Kuro wieder. Das war sehr rührend! 🥰
Und zuletzt erobert Haru Social Media.

#amLesen #MangaYear24 #MangaDE #Manga

Love, learning, and all the rest: Fictional libraries in “Fruits Basket” and beyond

Before watching Fruits Basket, an anime which mixes the romantic comedy, slice-of-life, and supernatural genres, I knew there was a librarian character (voiced by Sayumi Watabe). I was not aware, however, that libraries would have an important role in the series, at least in a few episodes. In this post, I’ll examine the scenes in Fruits Basket, and connect it to other posts on this blog.

In the third episode of Fruits Basket, a schoolgirl confesses to Yuki Soma (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki) in the library and he pushes her off. She is disappointed, saying he is closed off to most people and asks why he can’t let her in. The truth is that if women hug him, then he turns into an animal, a rat to be specific. The schoolgirl, understandably runs off, sad and likely crying, leaving him standing in the library. As it turns out, Tohru Honda (voiced by Manaka Iwami ), who is living at his house, tells him later that she is happy that he let her in, making him happy. The impact of this library scene is a strong one, even though the scene is pretty short.

In some ways, I can relate this to a few issues of the romantic slice-of-life webcomic, Literary Link. The protagonist, Faye, gets a community service job at the local public library’s literary club, due to a fighter in school, and meets a girl named Atlas. As would be expected, Faye falls in love with Atlas, after she teases her a bit, and agrees to keep volunteering at the literary club. Although Atlas isn’t sure if Faye will return, she does, making her happy, especially when she brings cupcakes, and Atlas bandages Faye up from an earlier fight. [1]

Literary Link and Fruits Basket are relatively different from other depictions of romance within libraries that I’ve noted on this blog. In The Truman Show (1998) and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), which I wrote about in the early days of this blog, the libraries play a big role in the stories of each film. In the first film, it is pivotal moment for Truman Burbank, as he meets the woman he loves, Sylvia, and runs out from the library with her to a secluded beach. In the second film, Harold remembers how he met his ex-girlfriend, Vanessa, in the library. Both of them, in line with the fact the film is a stoner comedy, smoke pot in the library, even though it isn’t allowed.

There are many other examples of love, and romance, within libraries, whether Luz’s crush on Amity (which is later canonized) in The Owl House, Sophia beginning to confess her love to Catarina in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, an almost-kiss between Shizuma and Nagisa in the Strawberry Panic! episode “Etoile”, and Fumi and Sugimoto kissing in an episode of Whispered Words (“Adolescence is Beautiful”). There are other instances of love being expressed inside of library walls, including a bun-wearing librarian shushing male students who are expressing their romance in the library.

The second time that libraries appear in the series is a short scene at the end of the fourth episode, when Tohru checks out books from the library about vegetable gardens and martial arts, so she can learn about what Yuki and Kyo like and dislike. She hopes to find “hidden sides” of them. Not long after, she ends up dropping these books, dramatically, when she learns that her Grandpa’s place is now ready for her to move back in. As it turns out, she doesn’t want to go back, but she decides she has to, although she is later saved by Yuki and Kyo in the following episode. This library scene has the first librarian character in the series, the aforementioned librarian voiced by Sayumi Watabe. This librarian is a student library worker. She checks out the books for Tohru.

Such librarians are not unique in anime. I mentioned many of them in my post back in April, including one protagonist, Haruki, in the striking and moving anime film, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas. He ends up helping another protagonist, Sakura Yamauchi, who’s disabled and uses a wheelchair. He becomes her good friend and later her love interest. She works in the library alongside him. This example differs from school-age student librarians, library workers to be precise, who are almost exclusively female, shown in various series. [2]

Some of the more prominent and recurring student librarians include Hisami Hishishii in multiple episodes of R.O.D. the TV, protagonist Hanamaru Kunikida in Love Live! Sunshine!!, Yamada and Kosuda in B Gata H Kei, Azusa Aoi in Whispered Words, Fumi Manjōme in Aoi Hana / Sweet Blue Flowers, Fumio Murakumi in Girl Friend Beta, Himeko Agari in Komi Can’t Communicate, Chiyo Tsukudate in Strawberry Panic!, Sumireko Sanshokunin a.k.a. “Pansy” in Oresuki, and Anne and Grea in Manaria Friends. Of these characters, they are often said to be quiet, shy, hardworking, diligent, lonely, sweet, socially awkward, or introverted. There are exceptions like the lustful and flirtatious Yamada, or Pansy who has strong charisma and observation skills. Many also have yuri subtext integral to their characters either directly or indirectly. [3]

A unique character is Rin Shima in Laid Back-Camp. She fits with the overall theme of iyashikei, a genre of anime which is “healing,” shying away from romance or action in favor of “meaningful connections with family and friends, and finding joy in the minutiae of life,” as Marley Crusch of Polygon put it. Shima is further described by Crusch as a girl who enjoys camping, quiet, reserved personality, and an introvert, although she becomes better at talking with others by the time of the 2nd season. [4]

This differs from more professional, yet unvoiced, ones in episodes of Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, Kin-iro Mosaic, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Maria Watches Over Us, Is the Order a Rabbit, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, and The Dangers in My Heart. Kanina Shizuka in Maria Watches Over Us, is another example, but she is a supporting character. This connects to what I wrote in August, noting that within workplaces, there are unspoken/spoken “common standards of professional appearance” which penalize those with “tattoos and piercings, connecting with societally-sanctioned standards of appearance, which can be harsher on women.

In anime, all the characters, with stated or presumed professional credentials, in this post would be called librarians and assistant librarians, according to the landmark Library Act in Japan. In any case, one must continually be critical of what Fobazi Ettarh has defined as vocational awe, a set of values, ideas, and assumptions that “librarians have about themselves and the profession that result in beliefs that libraries…are inherently good…sacred, and…beyond critique.” With that, my post comes to a close. Until next week, where my post will examine the profound lack of libraries in Tom Gauld’s Revenge of the Librarians and stronger fictional depictions.

© 2023-2024 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] “Literary Club” [Issue 1]; Literary Link, May 6, 2023; “What’s her name?” [Issue 2], Literary Link, May 12, 2023; “Ethically Questionable” [Issue 3], Literary Link, May 27, 2023; “Careful with your face” [Issue 4], Literary Link, Jun. 10, 2023; “Overthinking” [Issue 5], Literary Link, Jun. 24, 2023.

[2] I’m referring to, in part, Nagisa Yasaka in My Roommate is a Cat, Nagisa Yasaka (episode: “Ones Who Can’t Be Controlled” and “What Connects Us”), Aoi Uribe in Myself ; Yourself (episode “The Important Melody”), Hasegawa Sumika in Bernard-jou Iwaku a.k.a. Miss Bernard said, Kamiya in Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie (episode: “Cultural Festival I”), Sumireko Sanshokunin a.k.a. “Pansy” in Oresuki, Anne and Grea in Manaria Friends,  and Female Student B (librarian) in Azumanga Daioh (episode 19 segment “Springtime of Life”).

[3] “Hisami Hishiishii,” Read or Die Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Hanamaru Kunikida,” Love Live Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Yamada,” B Gata H Kei Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Fumio Murakumi,” Yuri Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Agari Himeko,” Komi-San Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Chiyo Tsukudate,” Strawberry Panic! Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Sumireko Sanshokunin,” Oresuki Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Grea,” Yuri Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023; “Anne (Rage of Bagamut),” Yuri Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023.

[4] “Rin Shima,” Yuru Camp Wiki, accessed Jul. 4, 2023.

#AkebiSSailorUniform #AmityBlight #AoiHana #AzumangaDaioh #beautyStandards #ChiyoTsukudate #disabledPatrons #FobaziEttarh #FruitsBasket #groomingStandards #HanamaruKunikida #HaroldAndKumar #HisamiHishishii #IWantToEatYourPancreas #IsTheOrderARabbit #JapaneseLibrarians #JapanesePatrons #JapaneseWomen #KinIroMosaic #KuboWonTLetMeBeInvisible #LaidBackCamp #LesbianLibrarians #LGBTQ #libraryPatrons #libraryWorkers #LiteraryLink #LoveLiveSunshine #MariaWatchesOverUs #MissBernardSaid #MyNextLifeAsAVillainess #MyRoommateIsACat #MyselfYourself #professionals #RevengeOfTheLibrarians #RevolutionaryGirlUtena #ShikimoriSNotJustACutie #StrawberryPanic #students #SweetBlueFlowers #TheDangersInMyHeart #TheOwlHouse #TheTrumanShow #vocationalAwe #WhisperedWords

In Band 9 von #MyRoommateIsACat gibt es ein Wiedersehen mit Roku und Hachi. 📚
Diesmal besuchen sie mit Nana zusammen Subaru daheim für den Kratzbaum. Das besondere dabei ist, dass Subaru Nana von sich aus zu ihm eingeladen hat, was noch nie vorkam. Sein Gesicht als es ihm selbst auffällt war grandios. 🤣
Selbst Hiroto lädt sich immer selber ein und war zuletzt auch erstaunt, um welche Dinge Subaru sich ganz selbstständig kümmert seit Haru bei ihm ist. ❤️

#amLesen #MangaDE #MangaYear24 #Manga

In Band 8 von #MyRoommateIsACat findet das letzte Kätzchen noch ein zuhause. 📚

Es war zwar schon klar, aber am Ende des letzten Bandes hatte ich mich schon an den Gedanken gewöhnt, dass Subaru und Haru noch eine Mitbewohnerin bekommen. Das letzte Kätzchen war so süß. ❤️ Die beiden hätten ordentlich mit ihm zu tun gehabt. 😆
Aber es ist auch schön, dass alle Kätzchen ein gutes Zuhause in der Nähe gefunden haben. 😊
Und dann kommt noch der Kratzbaum ins Haus!

#amLesen #MangaDE #MangaYear24 #Manga

In Band 7 zu #MyRoommateIsACat zeigt sich, was Subaru für eine bezaubernde Mutter hat. Sie ist die ganze Einkaufsstraße entlang und hat die Bücher ihres Sohnes zum Lesen verliehen. ❤️
Und Subaru bekommt dadurch tolle Möglichkeiten, um für die Kitten ein neues zuhause zu finden.

Diesmal ist mir wieder deutlich aufgefallen, wie viele Missverständnisse in der Kommunikation zwischen Tieren und Menschen passieren. Trotzdem spüren sie die Zuneigung des anderen. 🥰

#amLesen #MangaDE #MangaYear24 #Manga

Am Ende von Band 5 von #MyRoommateIsACat gab es ein Wiedersehen mit dem Kater Leo. Nun hat Subaru es geschafft ihn zu seiner Besitzerin zurückzubringen. ❤️

Der Trubel geht direkt weiter als unter seiner Terrasse Katzenjungen liegen. Um für sie ein neues zuhause zu finden, legt er sich mächtig ins Zeug! Dabei findet das kleine Mädchen Haru ein Kätzchen für sich.

Subaru ist zwar ein Stubenhocker, aber all die Begegnungen fühlen sich sehr natürlich an.

#amLesen #MangaDE #MangaYear24 #Manga